Goodbye
by missysillivan
Summary: He was dead. That was what they told her. But it couldn't be true. It just couldn't.//SasuSaku//Rated for slight language


**Goodbye**

By: Missysillivan

Summary: He was dead. That was what they told her. But it couldn't be true. It just couldn't. (SasuSaku)

**_Hello, hello. I am back with another one shot while I should be working on two other chaptered stories, haha. Anyway, I was in kind of a angsty mood, and this just kind of came about. Things have been tough on me lately and I think a short bout of depression can really help one's writing haha. I give far warning: this is a sad fic. Like I said, I wasn't in the most cheerful mood and this just happened. My next one shot, however, will be a happier piece. I promise! Now, enjoy!_**

Disclaimer: I don't own, no matter how much I may want to.

* * *

It wasn't supposed to happen like this. It just wasn't supposed to end like this! 

_"__ Sasuke's__ been hit!"_

Things weren't supposed to end like that when it involved an Uchiha. It defied the unspoken _laws_ of Uchiha.

_"Fuck! Sakura! We need you!"_

It was just a routine mission. There wasn't supposed to be any casualties.

_"It's an ambush!"_

There just weren't.

_"Retreat!"_

_"What's going on?"_

_"It's an ambush!"_

_The brunette screamed at the__ vessel to turn around. It was suicide._

_"Shikamaru!"_

_Said male turned to see the only medic on the team. "Sakura, call off Naruto! He's not listening!"_

_"Naruto! __Stop!"_

_The blonde hesitated and turned to look at her._

_"Naruto, retreat!"_

_He nodded and raced back, forgetting about the enemy._

_"Where's the kid?" Sakura gasped as she looked around, glancing quickly at the three twenty year old men surrounding her._

_"Fuck." Shikamaru stopped and turned to look back at the way the just came from._

_Swarms of enemy shinobi raced towards them._

_"There." Three pairs of eyes turned to the only surviving Uchiha._

_"Get him. We'll fend them off." Shikamaru commanded._

_Sasuke nodded and lunged towards the new ANB__U, __Ryozu __Kengi__ It was his first mission as an ANBU black-op. Simple, too. Just deliver the scroll and murder the corrupt politician. __Simple.__ So where did the ninja come from?_

_The fight led to a large clearing fifty yards off from where Sasuke the newbie were. The confrontation quickly turned into a battle of the wills and the minds. It was a war to the death when ever enemy shinobi conf__ronted each other. But this was….massacre. There was nothing civil about it. __Five against fifty._

_Sasuke took out the enemy that aimed for the terror-stricken __Kengi__ before landing gracefully in front of him on the defensive._

_"Fight, damn it."__ He hissed out, which seemingly snapped the young male back to reality._

_"R-Right."__Kengi__ got up to join the fight._

_Several minutes passed as Sakura continued to fight her own battle while attempting to get to her teammates when they were in need of help. It was when she was across the clearing from her long time boyfriend that she heard the words get yelled._

_"Sasuke's been hit!"_

_Sakura's eyes snapped to the location that she had last seen Sasuke in, and indeed, he was crouching on the ground with Naruto beside him, fighting off any attackers._

_"Fuck! Sakura! We need you!"_

_Sakura had never heard so much terror or __trepidation in Naruto's voice before. When she looked back, Sasuke was on the ground and Shikamaru and the new kid were finishing off the last of the enemy. Naruto was kneeling beside his childhood friend and teammate, screaming for her to get her ass over there._

_And then, i__t was silent._

_Nothing._

_Not even an insect, a bird, the river made a sound._

_Time seemed to stand still._

_There was blood._

_It was everywhere._

_It was the only thing she could see._

_It covered everything in the area._

_It was __his._

_C__orpses __scattered the ground all around him as Naruto tried to keep Sasuke with him._

_Shikamaru and __Kengi__ were standing in the clearing, just watching helplessly and confused._

_The enemies were gone. __Dead.__ But the fear and danger were escalating._

_Her__ steps were shaky._

_She __had no balance._

_'__This __can't __be happening.__' played over and over in her mind._

_'__It just __can't.'_

_Sakura__ moved slowly towards his fallen figure._

_His chest barely rose now._

_Shakily, she kneeled__ beside him, cupping his face with __her__ small hand._

_That famous smirk graced his lips, but in some small way it was completely different._

_It was pained…and sad._

_"Sa…Sakura…" His body became racked with coughs._

_Time to speed up once more and Sakura jumped into action._

_She __immediately placed __her__ hands on his chest and pumped __her__ chakra into his body._

_A faint smile graced his lips._

_Then he pushed __her__ hands away._

_"Please…don't do this…"__Sakura begged as she__ once more placed __her__ hands on his chest._

_He couldn't die._

_Not yet._

_He still had one last goal to complete._

_"Let me go…" He coughed once more. "…there is no use…"_

_"No…" Tears were welling up in __her jade__ eyes. A few betrayed __her__ self control and slid effortlessly down __her__ pale, blood spotted cheeks._

_She__ pumped more chakra into his body. Some healed._

_Some wouldn't._

_He wasn't trying to survive. He was giving up._

_"__Not now__."__ She pleaded as she__ heard a stir behind __her__. No doubt Naruto was __trying to keep it together._

_"Sakura…" He shakily __raised__ a hand to __her__ cheek and brushed his thumb gently across __her__ lips. "I'm sorry."_

_"There is nothing to be sorry for!"__ She__ argued. "Just don't give up! If you die on me…" Pause. "…I'll never forgive you…I'll __hate__ you. Never call you friend again. Never be __remembered__ well again!"_

_Sakura__ was hysterical. His face was in the grasp of __her dainty, blood covered__ hands. __Jade__ eyes pleaded with him to understand, to not give up._

_But he was tired. He wanted to succumb to the darkness._

_"I love you, damn it!"__She__ screamed__ desperately_

_His onyx eyes just stared at __her__. Eyes full of pain, sadness, guilt, and…regret. "I'm dying. Save your chakra for Naruto and __the others__."_

_"Damn it! Stop this! Just let me heal you!"__ She__ shrieked as __her__ fist collided with the ground beside his head._

_"Sakura…let me go…"_

_Finally the tears erupted. They streamed down __her__ face. __Cleaning away the blood of __her__ enemies.__Of __her__ past._

_"NO!"__ Sakura__ shook __her__ head vigorously as __her__ eyes clenched shut._

_His chest stopped rising and his body went still._

_It faintly registered in the back of Sakura's mind that Shikamaru had pulled her off of Sasuke's body and was trying to restrain her. Naruto just stared in shock, unable to fully grasp that his long time rival, friend, teammate, brother, had actually passed on._

_"We need to go back, Sakura. Please, calm down. We need to go back." Shikamaru whispered nothings to her, trying to get the medic to calm down, but it wasn't working. She wanted__ – needed – _her_ Sasuke._

_Naruto finally picked up the body and began to walk away from the clearing and towards the village as Shikamaru dragged Sakura and __Kengi__ followed close behind._

"Sakura-chan. We need to go."

Jade eyes looked up lifelessly and stared blankly into cerulean.

"Sakura, come on." He placed a hand on her shoulder and she pulled away immediately.

"Please Sakura-chan."

Naruto finally got a response when Sakura closed her eyes and mumbled something.

"What?"

"He's not dead. He can't be." She repeated, barely any louder than before.

_"Fight, damn it."_

"He is Sakura-chan. Come on." Sakura walked stiffly out of the apartment and was led to the service.

Everyone from near and far had come to the funeral. Looking over village from the top of the memorial, it could be seen that the roads were flooded with people. All standing and waiting just for him.

Sakura was led to her spot in the front of the group that were given special permission to be at the actual place of burial, unlike the rest of the villagers and travelers. Naruto kept his arm securely around the girl as Kakashi took his place on the other side of her.

The casket was placed before the large group. Flowers formed an arc around it as a large picture was placed on a stand. It had been taken only a month ago after Sakura had dragged 'her boys' down to the shop, stating that everyone needed an updated picture.

It had been decided that his burial would be a private event, which he would be buried in the Uchiha family cemetery, but the service would be held at the memorial for all to see.

Tsunade went to the podium and began to speak, but her words were ignored by the pink haired medic as she stared at the casket, not fully believing what was happening.

There was a clap of thunder and lightning before rain began to pour. No one moved. No one reacted.

"The heavenly father is crying with us." Sakura heard a woman say in the background.

"No. Sasuke is crying for having to leave us all." Another woman replied.

Sakura leaned more into Naruto and began crying. Naruto held her tight, not letting her go until it was time to place a lily on the casket. They went up one by one, each placing a single white lily on the dark wood.

When it was her turn, she silently stopped in front of it and placed her hand on the casket.

"Sasuke…come back to me." She begged in nothing more than a whisper.

_"We are all going to die sometime."_

_"Yeah, but we all also delay the inevitable."_

_"Either way, a day will come where it may just be your last."_

_"Or the beginning of another life."_

_"Hn."_

"You promised me."

_"Sasuke!"_

_"What's the matter?"_

_"I thought you died!"_

_"No. I'm fine. Tenten got caught in the explosion, I had gone back in to get her."_

_"Promise me you won't leave me! I don't know what would happen if you really did die."_

_"I promise. I'm not going to leave you."_

She dropped the flower and turned to leave, ignoring the protests of Naruto and the knowing eye of Kakashi.

She couldn't deal with it. No, she didn't want to deal with it. It just made it all the more real.

After walking for several minutes, she found herself at the memorial stone.

_"I love you."_

_"I know you do."_

Tears rolled down porcelain skin as the rain poured harder.

_"Once Akatsuki is completely destroyed, we'll get married."_

_"Really?"_

_"Would I lie?"_

Lightning flashed, giving the clearing a haunting shadow for only a split second.

_"Sasuke!__ I made it!"_

_"Congratulations."_

_"Tsunade is placing me on your team for the next mission as acting medic."_

_"At least we know we'll make it."_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"With you on the team, no one is going to lose their life this time around."_

Lightning flashed once more and Sakura missed the flicker of a shadow on the edge of the clearing, adjacent to the memorial stone.

Jade eyes stared despairingly at the open space where his name would be carved into once he was buried in the Uchiha family cemetery.

_"It's hard to believe it's been thirteen years since they've died."_

_"…Thirteen years is a long time…"_

_"It hasn't felt like thirteen years."_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"It hasn't felt like a long time with you and Naruto around."_

"You weren't supposed to die." She whimpered before falling to her knees.

She didn't start when she felt a hand grasp her shoulder. She knew who it was.

"Why did he have to die, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura whispered, not looking up at her old teacher.

"It was his time to go." Kakashi replied with a small squeeze of her shoulder. "Sasuke wouldn't want you to get ill by staying out in this rain. Come on. The service is ending soon."

Sakura wordlessly stood up and was led to the Uchiha compound by the gray haired Jonin.

A small group was already standing before the deep pit which the casket would be lowered into when Sakura and Kakashi arrived. The rain was coming down harder and harder, which only made the day more solemn. Kakashi held a large umbrella over his head and Sakura's while Naruto stood to the side of him with Hinata. The casket was lowered slowly and as it fell each inch, it felt like Sakura's hurt was breaking that much more.

She felt like she was about to die. It was becoming harder and harder to breath; she was getting dizzy; her knees locked up. Kakashi caught the mourning girl just before she hit the muddied ground. He silently cursed as Naruto moved around him and picked up the poor girl.

"I'll take her." Naruto whispered.

Kakashi nodded and watched as his last two students headed towards the hospital. He let out a deep sigh and turned just as the dirt was dumped into the hole, hiding the casket containing his prodigal student for the rest of eternity.

-----

Tsunade entered the hospital room silently and stood by the door, looking in on the room. Naruto was sitting on the edge of the hospital bed, smoothing out Sakura's pastel pink hair as she slept. The blonde looked away and took a shaky breath before approaching the teammates.

"How is she?" The hokage whispered.

"I'm scared, baa-chan." Naruto replied in a broken tone.

"She just needs time."

"This isn't like last time." Naruto's deep cerulean eyes looked up and he sent Tsunade a hard look. "Sasuke isn't coming back this time."

Tsunade looked away before moving to the barred window of the hospital room. She looked out at the silent village. Most were mourning while others hide in their homes from the terrible storm that was raging on.

"Sasuke left a will…"

Naruto looked up quickly; his eyes were wide while his body tensed considerably.

"I didn't know he had one."

Tsunade nodded, not looking away from the window. "He left everything to you, Kakashi, and Sakura. The inheritance will be split equally between you three. He wanted certain sections of the Uchiha compound restored while some buildings he wanted completely destroyed-"

"Sasuke was working on that before he…left us…" Naruto paused, trying to regain composure. "He was working with one of the historical societies to turn a part of the compound into a museum."

Tsunade nodded. "I know. I approved it."

"What are you going to do with the rest of the compound?"

"I don't know." Tsunade finally turned to Naruto. The kyuubi vessel immediately saw all the pain in her hazel eyes. "He left everything to you."

Naruto's eyebrows knitted together. "I know. You just told me that."

Tsunade shook her head and took a step forward. "No, I mean he left _everything_ to the three of you. Everything! As in the compound, inheritance, Konoha Military Police Corps, _everything_. If it had the name Uchiha in it, it went to the three of you!"

Naruto could only gape at the blonde hokage. He blinked a couple of times before standing up and pacing. "Why? Why would he leave it all to us?"

Tsunade stepped in front of him, effectively stopping Naruto in his tracks, and set her hands on his shoulders. She opened her mouth to speak, but-

"Because we were the only family he had left."

-Sakura answered before she could utter the words.

Both blondes rushed to either side of the bed while Sakura sat up and hung her head.

"He's really gone, isn't he? Its not just some horrible nightmare…"

"No, Sakura-chan. He's really gone." Naruto replied quietly.

Sakura nodded and moved to get off the bed. "I want to go home now." Her voice was weak and it sounded like she was asking.

Tsunade denied her, telling her to stay just the night and then she could go home in the morning. After a short argument, Sakura finally relented and lay back down while Naruto promised to come back with some more comfortable clothes for her to sleep in.

Sakura didn't reply to him, just stayed quiet and stared at the pristine white ceiling.

The next day, after Tsunade had released her, Sakura went straight home and locked herself in her apartment. No one could get through to her. Not her parents, Tenten, Ino, Naruto, or even Kakashi.

The hours went by painfully slow for the mourning kunoichi. She spent most of her time in bed, staring at the picture of her and Sasuke, taken only a week before he was ripped away from her.

They were standing on a cliff outside the walls, overlooking the village with red hues in the background as the sun went down. Both were covered head to toe in dirt and mud, but were happy. Naruto had taken the picture, telling them to make out for the camera while Kakashi stood off to the side line rolling his eyes and letting out a insignificant "tsh". Sakura and Sasuke had settle on a arm around each other with Sakura leaning into the Uchiha for his bodily warmth. Never mind that they were on their way back from an A rank mission; they were happy and relaxed, and that was all that mattered.

Several tears rolled down porcelain cheeks. Two days after the picture was taken, they were sent on the horrific mission. Shikamaru, Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, and a newly recruited ANBU were sent out on a routine mission, only to have it end worse then any of them could have imagined.

They all knew the risks involved being a ninja, and they all knew that anyone of them could be at deaths door every day of their lives.

What they didn't plan on was the last Uchiha heir being killed at the hands of the enemy.

"There was nothing you could have done to change what happened."

Sakura shot up and looked around frantically as the silky smooth voice spoke. Her breathing became rapid and near hysterical as she willed her mind to stop playing tricks on her.

"I chose to jump in front of the attack for the newbie. He has a lot of potential."

"Who's there?" Her voice was unnaturally high and shaky.

The familiar breathy "hn" coated in a whisper of a chuckle floated to her ears. Sakura grasped the area above her heart and chanted a "go away" over and over.

When she felt the pressure on her cheek, she shot up from the bed and stared in shock at the image before her.

There Sasuke stood, in all his glory. He was dressed in his usual Jonin garb, forehead protector in place, blue sandals strapped on both feet. His face held the usual smirk, and his hair fell in the usual way while his arms were crossed over his chest, like usual.

"You're not real!" Sakura nearly shrieked. "You died! I saw you die! You were buried!" She pointed at him, screaming, unsure if she had just fallen asleep and was having a dream without knowing it, or if she had finally gone insane.

Sasuke nodded solemnly as dropped his arms at his sides while his smirk was replaced with a settle frown.

"I know."

Sakura clenched her eyes shut and shook her head frantically. "This is just a dream. You're not really here!"

The breezy chuckle drifted to her ears once more and Sakura felt like her knees were going to give out on her.

"You're right…I am dead."

"Then why are you here?!"

"Because…you never said good bye."

Sakura froze and stared wide-eyed at the ghost of a man. "What?"

Sasuke suddenly appeared in front of her and cupped her cheek. "You never said good bye." He repeated slowly. "You willed me here."

"How can I feel you?" Sasuke whispered, closing her eyes and pressing her face into his hand.

Sasuke didn't answer. Instead, he pulled her into his chest and held the suddenly sobbing girl close to him. Sakura clung to Sasuke for dear life, wishing with all her might that he was real and not a ghost visiting her in her delirium.

She felt them move to the bed and sit down. Sasuke continued to hold her as she cried, not saying a word, just rubbing soothing circles on her back and resting his chin on her pink head.

"Why did you have to die, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura whispered into his Jonin tac-vest.

"Because I couldn't hold on. I lost too much blood, much too quickly. Even if I wanted to survive, I wouldn't have." Sasuke replied with a stroke of her hair.

"But…_why_?..."

"He was a newbie with potential."

Sakura shook her head and let out an angry sound. "You left us!"

"I know."

A silence fell over them for a moment before Sakura sat up and stared into the bottomless obsidian stones. "Naruto said you left everything entitled to you to him, me and Kakashi."

"I did."

"Why?"

"You are all my family. I trust you three with my things. I don't have to worry about things being pawned off."

Sakura smiled sadly. "Why didn't you at least tell us that you had so much money?"

Sasuke smirked and stroked the side of her cheek. "Never crossed my mind."

"I miss you."

"I know."

"I love you."

"…I know."

Sakura closed her eyes as another tear rolled down her cheek. She suddenly felt Sasuke kiss the tear away before pressing his surprisingly warm lips to her own. He whispered "I love you" against her lips and pulled away.

"Don't stop living because I'm gone."

"I don't know how to live without you."

"Yes you do. Just take it one day at a time."

"I don't think I can."

"I know you can."

Sakura embraced Sasuke and sobbed once more. "Will I ever see you again?"

"When the right time comes."

"When will that be?"

"After you lived a full life and passed on at a ripe old age."

She nodded and felt Sasuke smooth down the back of her hair.

"Now I need you to do something for me." He whispered lovingly.

"What is it?" She asked, almost hesitantly.

"I need you to wake up."

Sakura stared up at him in confusion. "But I'm not asleep-"

Sakura let out a gasp as she shot up straight. She looked around and saw that she was in her bedroom. The clock beside her bed flash midnight while the curtains around the window fluttered in the tender wind.

Sakura shakily got up and walked to the light switch and turned on the light.

It had all been a dream…he wasn't really here, was all that she could think.

Sakura walked back to her bed and sat down. When she looked up, she nearly let out a scream. On her mirror, that was attached to the vanity, written in her soft pink lip stick was-

_I will always __be with__ you._

A soft smile graced Sakura's lips as a silent tear trailed down her cheek.

"I know you will be…Sasuke…"

The curtains fluttered once more before settling down and became still.

_

* * *

Five Months Later_

"How did the mission go?"

"Well enough. We only met one enemy on the way back."

"Good. Any troubles with the dealer?"

"None. He was actually very willing to help us retrieve the scroll from the daimyo."

A sharp nod of the head. "Very good. I expect all of your mission reports by the end of the week."

"Hai!"

Cerulean eyes watched a Nara Shikamaru, Tenten, Yamanaka Ino, and Aburame Shino walked out of the large office at a comfortable pace. They then snapped to the pink haired medic still sitting in her chair with a grin on her face.

"You like being in charge." She accused.

"Do not." He argued.

"Do too."

"Not."

"Too."

"Not."

"Enough."

The arguing duo looked to the window where the gray haired Jonin stood with his infamous orange book in hand.

"Hey! You can't tell me what to do!"

"You're the hokage and yet you still act like a five-year-old, Naruto." Kakashi sighed.

"Not nice." Naruto bit out.

Sakura laughed and stood up. "I need to go to the hospital. Dinner still on at my house?"

Naruto nodded enthusiastically while Kakashi let out a short "yup".

"Good. Make sure you're on time. I don't want the food to get cold like last time, _Kakashi-sensei_."

"Hai, hai. Don't worry. I'll be there _early_ today."

"Sure you will." Naruto snickered.

"Ja ne." Sakura sighed as she disappeared with a poof.

When she reappeared, she was in her office inside the hospital. She took a seat and let out a heavy sigh.

"I took you're advice and I'm living my life to the fullest. I hope you like what you're seeing-"

A frantic looking nurse flew into the office, clipboard in hand, and looking pale in the face.

"Genin squad six just arrive back. One of them is in serious condition!"

"Right." Sakura shot up and followed behind the nurse to the operation room and immediately got to work on the young ninja.

_"-Sasuke."_

* * *

**_So there it is. Please review and let me know what you think about it! No mean reviews. Oh, and sorry about any grammatical errors. I tried to read through and catch everything, but some stuff might have slipped past me._**

**_iMiSsYsIlLiVaN!_**


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